The Digital Switch over plan of the Federal Government is geared towards creating employment opportunities for teeming Nigerians in entertainment and manufacturing industries.
The Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated this during engagement meeting between Ministerial Taskforce on Digital Switch over and stakeholders in Lagos ahead of its roll out in Lagos slated for 29th this month.
Digital Switch over is a television broadcast that will replace the current analogue to a new standard call digital transmission.
Mr. Mohammed said the Digital Switch over was aimed at stimulating local content and empowering platform owners, noting that the project is capable of creating one million jobs in three years.
He said that Government had taken steps to create enabling environment for content provider to succeed.
The Minister of Information and Culture said the code has been amended to curb monopoly and exclusivity of programme content in order to create room for local industry to grow.
He directed the National Broadcast Commission to set up special units that would report to him on the implementation of the reform noting that the Ministry has directed Gotv and Star Times to stop self carriage by the end of June this year as parts of efforts to make the Digital Switch over proposition viable.
In a remark, the Acting Director General of National Broadcast Commission, Professor Armstrong Idachaba said the meeting was put together to aggregate the involvement of stakeholders in Lagos on the imperative of the Digital Switch over transition.
Professor Idachaba said the Digital switch over in Lagos was significant because it is media hub of Nigeria, the most populated city in the Country and advertising melting point.
While urging signal distributors and channel owners to make Set Top Box affordable and available, NBC DG appealed to them to ensure that before 26th of this month, all necessary procedures and installations for hitch free switch on is concluded.
Stakeholders urged Government to make Set Top Box, a signal converter that will be plug into existing television set, available and affordable price.
Olaoluwa Adekunle
